Christmas for an Angel
by NogeiloGirl
Summary: This is a lighter Angel fanfic set at Christmas time. It is Cordy, Doyle, & Angel’s 1st Christmas together.
1. Next Part

Disclaimer: Angel belongs to Joss, 20th Century Fox & the other companies who help out. I don't own any of the characters. "Never let You Go" belongs to Third Eye Blind.  
  
Feedback: yes please! (No flames please)  
  
Summary: This is a lighter "Angel" fan-fic set at Chistmas time It is Cordy, Doyle, & Angel's 1st Christmas together. :)  
  
  
Pt. 1  
  
Cordy came bustling into the office, her arms laden with packages, the papers that Angel had been going over dropped from his hands and onto the desktop, as he stared at the figure rushing towards him.   
"Um, Angel, could you like take these for me," she asked, peeking her head around the boxes. "Thanks," she said as she dumped the boxes into his arms.   
"Uh, you're welcome," he answered uncertainly, still staring after her.   
"Oh, Doyle," Cordelia said in a sing-song voice, and Doyle's head popped out from around the corner.   
"Yeah, what's up darlin?" he asked, his interest piqued.   
"Could you help me with something on I mean in the car?" Cordy asked sweetly. Doyle's face changed from one of interest to wariness.  
"Yeah, I guess," he said reluctantly.  
"Whoa, wait a minute, what did you buy that's on my car?" Angel asked heatedly.  
"Relax Angel," Cordy said, rolling her eyes, "your car is fine."  
She grinned and her hair bounced a little as she turned to Doyle with excited eyes, then grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the front door. A minute later Cordelia came through the door lugging an oversized Christmas tree, her arms hugging the upper half of the tree, while Doyle struggled with the lower half of the tree.   
"This thing is heavy, " Doyle grunted, as beads of sweat formed on his forehead.  
"Aw, come on Doyle, a little bit of exercise won't hurt you any," Angel grinned.  
"Yeah, sure, just like a little bit of sun won't hurt you any, now will it," Doyle shot back.  
*That sure wiped the grin off of Angel's face real quick,* Doyle was pleased to see.   
"I'd better go see what damage you did to my car," he said gruffly, looking pointedly at Cordy.  
  
Cordelia ignored him and shrugged her shoulders, then she and Doyle leaned the tree against the wall.   
"Uh, you did buy a stand, didn't ya darlin?" Doyle asked.  
"Of course silly, Cordy said. "Duh!"   
Angel could still make out the sillouhette of his car even though twilight was settling over the city. He scowled as see took in the damage to his car. "I'm never letting her drive my car again!" Angel muttered, as he inspected the big gash on his trunk and the black paint that was scraped off with it. "Cordelia!" Angel growled, as he closed the front door. "What did you do, drop the tree on my car!"  
"What's wrong?" she asked innocently. "I'm sure a little black nail polish can fix the paint."   
Angel sighed and rolled his eyes, "And what about the gash on my trunk , how do you plan on fixing that!" he said sarcastically.   
Cordelia shrugged, "It's just a little dent, I figured you could fix it?" she said. She looked at him with hopeful eyes.   
He threw up his hands, "Why is it I can't stay mad at you," he said grinning slightly.   
"Because I'm just too darn cute," she said with a saucy grin. She heard Doyle yelling for her again, and rushed back into Angel's office.   
"Come on, let's get this thing downstairs," Doyle puffed.  
"You could have left the tree against the wall like we had it," Cordelia said matter-of-factly.   
"Yeah, well, I wanted to be prepared for when you came back. I thought it was going to be less than 10 minutes," he said sarcastically.   
Before she could retort back, a third voice entered into the conversation, "Come on, let me help you guys with that." Angel grabbed the upper half of the tree and he and Doyle started out of the room. "I hope there's room for this in the elevator," Angel muttered. Cordy and Doyle didn't see his smile though, as they all made there way to the elevator.   
"Okay," Cordy said, "All these boxes have Christmas decorations for the tree in them," she explained as she gingerly sat the boxes on the floor.   
"Hey man, I can see your face now," Doyle joked, as Cordy continued taking the boxes out of Angel's waiting arms. Angel growled in response.   
"It wasn't that hard, all I had to do was peek my head over or around the boxes a couple of times, that's all. Nothing to it," he said sarcastically.   
"Hey, well someone had to direct you around," Cordelia protested. Angel just rolled his eyes.  
Cordelia unceremoniously plopped herself down on the floor and started opening the packages.  
"Don't you guys want to help me set the tree up?" Cordelia looked up at them imploringly.  
"Uh, Uh, no not me," Angel replied, "I think I've done enough for today." Cordy turned her head to look at Doyle.  
"What about you?" Cordy asked Doyle. Cordelia could see the uncertainty in Doyle's eyes, as he looked from her to Angel and back again. "Come on Doyle, it'll be fun," Cordelia coaxed. Besides, I'll bet it's been awhile since you did this with friends or family." As soon as she said that, she could see thee old Irish smile light up his eyes. "Good, it's settled then," Cordelia said.  
Angel shrugged and walked towards the elevator. Cordelia got up angrily, from her position on the floor. "What are you going to do Angel, go brood." Angel stopped short as Cordy continued her tirade, "Just wouldn't be the same without another broodfest, would it Angel," Cordelia said, a challenging note in her voice. Angel slowly turned towards her, his head down, and his voice low, but the anger building in it was unmistakable.   
"Cordy, he growled, "Quit while your ahead."  
"Angel," Cordy continued, her voice soft yet pleading, said quietly, "You need to let her go."  
"No!" his head came up and his eyes flashed. I won't let her go, I'll never let her go! I can't let her go," he said brokenly. Angel stormed off towards the elevator.   
  
Pt. 2  
  
Cordy turned to face Doyle, "Let's get started," she said quietly.   
Doyle was impressed with Cordy's use of color and design in decorating the tree. The tree lights she bought were all blue, but with the white snow flakes hanging from the tree and the soft, white tinsel nestled among the branches, the lights looked almost aqua. Finally Cordy stepped back, and took a deep breath, "There, it's done," she said. She was smiling broadly. Doyle found himself staring at the tree, he had never seen a tree look that good!   
"Did you ever think about taking up designing Cordy? The tree looks great," Doyle commented.   
Cordelia shrugged, "I don't know, I never thought about it really." She looked lost in thought as she continued to stare at the tree. She gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth, "Oh my gosh, I forgot the most important part!" She turned to Doyle, "I forgot the Angel!"   
Doyle cocked his head to one side and gave her a funny look. "Well, I can call Angel if you need him," Doyle said.   
"No, silly," Cordelia said, hitting him lightly on the arm, "not our Angel, a little Angel for the tree."  
"Oh, oh yeah," he said knowingly. "It's been awhile since I've had anyone to celebrate Christmas with," he said quietly.   
Cordy gave him a quick hug. "Come on, want to go with me to get an Angel for the tree?   
Besides, Angel will probably have a cow if I go by myself, afraid I'll dent up his car again or something. I wonder where Angel is anyway, I hope he's okay. Doyle, do you think what I said to Angel was out of line?"  
"Well, Darlin, Angel is taking it step-by-step, day by day, and he's trying to adjust. Just have patience and give him some time. However, I do feel he needs to get out more and get involved in more things than just his work. That will get his mind of off Buffy some."   
"That's exactly how I feel Doyle!" Cordy said in an exasperated tone. "Though I suppose I was a little too forward," she said slowly. He's probably roaming the streets, thinking about Buffy or taking his anger out on some poor, unsuspecting vamp. Otherwise, he's upstairs thinking about her right now."   
On her last statement, Doyle saw a flash of pain in her eyes. He almost did a double-take. *Was she?* He shook his head to clear it. Now, he was beginning to wonder  
Cordy's voice brought him back to reality. "Anyway, I'll make it up to him," she said excitedly. "You can drive me to the mall, that way his car will be a-okay." She gave Doyle the thumbs-up signal, and beamed her 1000 watt smile at him.  
They took the elevator up to the office and they didn't see Angel anywhere, so they figured he was out roaming the streets, thinking. Cordy hoped that's what he was doing anyway. She didn't want him out fighting vamps without them, it was too dangerous. "Think we should look for Angel before we go shopping?" Cordy asked Doyle.   
"Angel can take care of himself, besides I'm sure he's fine," Doyle assured Cordy as they walked out the office door.   
  
Angel decided a walk in the park might help him calm down a little. Cordy was right though, he needed to move on. The idea of letting Buffy go was very painful, and he just wasn't sure if he could do it.   
Cordy and Doyle walked into the overly crowded mall in search of their "Angel." That's when Cordy saw it, the perfect little Angel to go atop their tree. It was dressed in a velvet, white gown, with a little halo on top it's head. The oversized wings were made from a satin-like material and were pure white. "It's beautiful," Cordelia breathed. Doyle nodded his agreement. Cordelia reached up on her tip-toes and pulled the doll off the top shelf. She hugged it to her chest as a child would a doll. She turned to Doyle, her smile reaching her eyes. "This is perfect, Angel will love this!" she said excitedly. A few minutes later, they were waiting in line, with 10 people in front of them, but she didn't care. After all, she had her Angel, and her favorite song, "Never Let You Go," by Third Eye Blind , was playing over the loud speakers.   
It was quite chilly after they got out of the mall. Cordy realized she had forgotten to bring her jacket, but Doyle noticed her shivering, so he pulled off his jacket and put it around her shoulders.   
"Better?" he asked.   
"Yes, much better," she replied. Doyle could see her smile at him in the darkness.  
"Doyle, I still need to get my family presents. Do you want to help me pick out gifts for them tomorrow? Do you think Angel might want to come and help too?" She asked hopefully.  
After he braked at a stoplight, he turned to face her, "Sure, I'd like to, tonight's been fun. I'm not sure about Angel though, but we can try darlin," he said encouragingly to her. She turned around in her seat again and hugged the Angel tightly to her chest. *I can't wait for tomorrow!* she thought.   
Doyle saw a pair of headlights coming towards them from around the bend. He fumed, "Stupid jerk has his brights on!" he muttered under his breath. Almost automatically he slowed down, but as the guy got closer, Doyle realized the guy was in the same lane they were, heading straight for them! "Doyle," Cordy said in a frightened voice, and she reached out to grab his sleeve. "I know darlin, I know!" he responded in a frantic tone of voice. Doyle and Cordy were alarmingly aware that the guy was to fast and close for Doyle to slow down and veer onto the shoulder. There was no way they could veer off to the right either, unless they wanted to fall off the cliff.   
"Hang on darlin, we're gonna make a sharp turn!" Doyle veered sharply to the left, but due to the speed, the car slammed into the embankment and kept going! It veered off sharply to the right and flipped over, coming to a spinning halt in the middle of the road. Inside Cordy and Doyle were unconscious, with Cordy's arms still wrapped around her Angel.  
Pt. 3  
  
By the time Angel got back to the office it was pitch black outside, except for the moon shining brightly overhead. He opened the door and flipped on the light switch, expecting to find Cordelia and Doyle there. "Doyle, Cordy," he called, nothing but silence. He shook his head, *that's odd,* he thought. Angel went downstairs to see if they were decorating the tree, but no such luck. Just then the telephone rang. The voice that greeted him on the telephone was the last person he expected to hear from. Unfortunately, the call was unwelcome. As soon as the conversation ended, his breath came out in a rush and the phone dropped from his hands. He grabbed his leather jacket, rushed up the hidden spiral staircase, and dashed out the front door.   
Within 5 minutes the cab screeched to a halt in front of the hospital. Angel thrust a $20 bill toward the cab driver and said gruffly, "Keep the change." Angel rushed through the emergency room sliding doors, stopping only when he came to the nurses station. "Look, my name is Angel , I came to see.."   
The nurse cut him off, "Cordelia Chase and Doyle O'Brian." she finished.  
"Yes," he said gratefully. He took a deep breath. "May I see them now?" he asked.  
She smiled softly at him. She could see the distraught look in his eyes, and nodded.   
"Straight down the hall on the right, rooms 203 and 204." In no time at all he spotted door #203, and he opened the door softly. He was surprised to see Doyle buttoning his shirt up.   
"What are you doing?" Angel whispered sharply.   
"I'm getting dressed," Doyle said simply. Angel opened his mouth to say something, but Doyle beat him to it. "The doctor said if I felt up to it, I could leave tonight."   
Angel's jaw dropped, "You don't look up to it," he stated flatly.  
"Thanks for the vote of confidence Angel," Doyle replied drolly.  
"Well, your face is pale and bruised. Are you okay man? I've never seen you look like this." Angel rambled on.   
"Whoa, Angel I'll be okay. I know I don't look so hot, but I'll heal. My ribs are bruised and I have a slight concussion, but the doctor said I'll be fine."   
Angel's concerned face broke into a smile, "If you say so buddy." Angel's jaw muscle tightened. "How is Cordelia?"   
Doyle's eyes clouded over for an instant. "She, she'll, she's spending the night." Doyle replied. He was unsure of what to say next.   
"What's wrong, what happened to her?" he asked, his voice rough with emotion.  
"She has a serious concussion and a broken arm. They want to keep her here for at least tonight, so they can monitor her concussion. If it improves enough, they'll release her tomorrow."  
Before Angel could say anything, Doyle rushed on, they had to operate on her arm though, due to the severity of the break. Doyle couldn't help but grin slightly because even though Angel's face had concern written all over it, he was also turning a slight shade of green.   
"Did the bone poke through the skin?" Angel asked weakly." Doyle shook his head.   
"No, but it was broken in three places. In surgery they had to use strong surgical pins to hold the bones in place."  
*So, the bones will heal that way* Angel thought. "Can the pins be taken out after her arm heals?" Angel asked slowly. Doyle shook his head no. "Well, won't she feel them in her arm?" Angel questioned.   
Doyle sighed, "I don't know man. Haven't you ever broken any bones before?" Angel shook his head no. Doyle looked at him in surprise.   
"I was careful as a kid, so sue me," Angel retorted.   
"More like a wuss," Doyle shot back, and he gave Angel a sly grin. Angel just shrugged, but he couldn't help but smile. Then he headed to Cordy's room. He opened the door slowly and peeked his head inside. He was relieved to see Cordy's chest rise and fall. He realized that she was just sleeping, not unconscious. He breathed a sigh of relief. He sat down in the chair next to her bed, and gently took her hand in his. He caressed the top of her hand lightly with his thumb. With his other hand he gently brushed a lock of hair off her forehead. In her sleep she felt something soft, lightly brush her forehead, so she slowly opened her eyes.   
"It's going to take a lot more than black nail polish to fix your car now," she chuckled  
softly.   
Angel shook his head, "It's not important, I can always have it fixed or replaced. I don't know of any people that I can have fixed or replaced do you," he asked rhetorically. She shook her head no, then winced. "Hey, you okay?" he asked worriedly.   
"Yea, I'll be okay. My head just aches some."   
"Yea, Doyle told me about your concussion, and that you'll be staying overnight, so the doctors can monitor you."   
Her eyes widened in panic. "What, no, uh uh, I'm not staying overnight," and she struggled to sit up. When she didn't feel herself going anywhere she opened her eyes again, only to feel a slight pressure on her shoulders. She realized then how truly weak she was, when it didn't take much for Angel to hold her down. Meanwhile, Angel wanted to kick himself for telling her the seriousness of her condition.   
"I don't like hospitals, she reaffirmed. When I was a kid we had to come to the hospital because Dad had sprained his ankle. Well, Mom told us to wait in the waiting room. She paused and took a deep breath and glanced over at Angel, who was watching her intently. With me being  
hyperactive and my sister being the practical jokester, we decided to explore the hospital. Cordy glanced over at Angel again, only to see him futilely attempting to suppress a smile. It's not funny she protested. She tried hard not to, but a grin split her face anyway. Anyway, we made our way down to the hospital's morgue, and I asked my sister, Lisa what the little drawers were for. And she said "Oh they're to take naps in silly." Well, my sister was 5 and thought she knew it all, but I was only 2 , so I trusted her fully. She wanted me to get in the sliding drawer, but I was not about to take a nap. She persuaded me by saying it would only be a few minutes. Well, I climbed in and she shut the drawer. Then Lisa took off. She left me there for ½ hour. When my Mom found me, I was bawling my eyes out.   
"Angel looked at her in disbelief , his mouth hanging open in shock. She ignored him, barely stifling a laugh, and continued on. Anyway, my sister got the scolding of her life. After Dad got out of the hospital she explained to me what really happened. Lisa told me after she left the hospital morgue she headed straight to the bathrooms, and accidentally forgot all about me. To this day I still don't quite believe her." She had barely finished when Angel just started cracking up, in fact Cordy had never seen him laugh this hard. She rarely even saw him smile. She wanted to say *I didn't think it was that funny,* but she refrained. She was speechless, plus it was endearing to see him like this: laughing so hard till he cried. He looked so young, so carefree, not bearing the pain and guilt of the past. This was truly a rarity. *Okay, I've done my deep thinking for the day, she thought. Now I'll just sit back and watch.*   
Finally, Angel opened his eyes and wiped the tears off his face. "I couldn't help myself," he said, burying his face in his hands, "it was just so ridiculously funny." He looked up at her then, "What's wrong, why aren't you yelling at me?" He asked, his eyes wary. He noticed that she was calm and wore a slight smile on her lips.   
"I enjoyed seeing you be a kid," she said simply.  
"Oh, so did I," he said softly. 


	2. Next Part

Disclaimer: Angel belongs to Joss, 20th Century Fox & the other companies who help out. I don't own any of the characters. "Never let You Go" belongs to Third Eye Blind.  
  
Feedback: yes please! (No flames please)  
  
Summary: This is a lighter "Angel" fan-fic set at Chistmas time It is Cordy, Doyle, & Angel's 1st Christmas together. :)  
  
If anyone would like to use this story on their site please ask my permission first.  
  
Pt. 4  
  
Reluctantly, Angel left the hospital with Doyle in tow.   
"Take it easy man, she's only staying overnight! Not to mention, the doctors feel that her condition improved, in just the short time that you were there."  
"That's because I nearly "died" of laughter," Angel said sarcastically.   
"Never happen buddy, already been there and done that," Doyle said dryly and patted him on the back. Angel glared at Doyle as they sat down on the bench to wait for the cab.   
"Not funny," Angel retorted, "I'm serious!"   
"Whoa, okay, sorry." "So what really happened?"  
"Well, Cordy actually told me one of her childhood stories, which totally surprised me. I didn't expect her to open up to me like that."   
"Well, what did she tell ya?" Doyle asked eagerly.  
"I'm not sure if I should."  
"Oh, come on," Doyle pleaded.   
"Nope, I don't think so, It's Cordy's decision whether or not to tell you," Angel said with finality.   
"You're a tough nut to crack," Doyle said as the cab pulled up to the curb in front of them.  
"Alas, I'm gonna grill Cordy about it though," Doyle said with a wicked grin as they both climbed into the back of the cab.  
  
Next morning:  
Angel was having a complex deciding on whether to go with Doyle to the hospital to pick up Cordy, or go check out his car at the local junk yard. He couldn't help himself and opted for the latter. He put his face up to the chain-link fence just in time to watch his beloved car get put into the crushing machine.   
"My car," he whimpered. He turned away, unable to watch anymore. As he walked away he vowed to get himself a new car, he was not going to ride the bus!   
  
Meanwhile,   
As Doyle helped Cordy into the cab she asked, "Where's Angel?"  
"Oh, Angel couldn't resist checking on his car," and Cordy smiled slightly.   
"I hate to encounter him when I get home," Cordy shuddered. Could you imagine his face when he saw the crushed hood?"  
"Probably the look of physical pain," Doyle deadpanned, "but I doubt he'll be that upset Cor."  
Nothing else was said on the way home. When they got home Angel was gone.   
"See I told you he would be steaming mad," Cordelia declared. Just then the office door burst open, and Angel came striding in, his long, black coat billowing behind him. Cordy's head jerked up immediately and her dark eyes followed him as he brushed past both her and Doyle. Angel whirled around suddenly to face them, his face pensive in thought.   
"We're obviously in need of transportation, so I've been thinking, there is another classic car for sale down the street, private owner, car looks in good shape,"  
"Alright already, quit your rambling, and just go check it out. We know where your conversation was headed," Doyle cut him off. Angel just stared at him in surprise , his mouth hanging open.   
"You seem to be doing that a lot lately," Doyle remarked, and Angel quickly shut his mouth. Angel suddenly realized that Cordelia was very quiet and he noticed that she was staring at her hands in her lap.  
"Hey," Angel squatted down next to her, and gently tilted her chin up to face him.   
"You're really not that upset about the car?" she questioned. He stood up and looked down into her imploring eyes. Angel shrugged his shoulders, "There's no use crying over spilt milk." Now it was Cordy's turn for her mouth to gape open.   
"Shut yo mouth Miss Cordy!" Doyle said mimicking Mammy's accent "From Gone With The Wind." Doyle felt as if he had been watching an intense moment from "As The World Turns." *That should liven things up a bit,* he thought wickedly. Cordy shut her mouth, and she felt her cheeks turning red. Angel just shrugged, not catching her blush, and headed towards the door.  
After Angel left Doyle helped her put her arm back in the shoulder sling.   
"Oh, come on Doyle, I want to move my arm around a little," she complained.   
"You heard what the doctor said Cor, to keep it immobile for the first few days," he scolded her.  
"Yeah, I know, I know," she sighed. Switching the subject Cordy asked, "Is it just me or is Angel more relaxed."   
"Well, I think Angel has adjusted his priorities a little, that's all," Doyle said thoughtfully.  
"Oh come on Doyle, don't get all cryptic on me. Angel's been rubbing off on you too much hasn't he?"   
"Well I .." Doyle started to defend himself. Just then the front door banged open.   
"The car's ours," Angel stated.   
"That's it, done deal?" Cordy questioned.  
Angel nodded, "That's it. The papers are already signed. Done deal he said, using Cordy's words. There is only one problem though."  
Doyle frowned, expecting to hear the worst.   
Angel made a sad face, like a disappointed little boy at Christmas. "The car is red."  
"That's the problem," Doyle said staring at Angel, laughing heartily. He shook his head doubled over in laughter. Cordy stood up, hitting Angel lightly in the chest, "Red is pretty," she said simply, and walked toward the open, front door.   
"But I don't want pretty," Angel complained, "it's not"   
"You, Cordelia finished for him. I know. Black is you fav in everything." She said rolling her eyes. Angel started to retort, but was cut off by a gasp from just outside the front door..   
"It's beautiful!" Cordy praised. "And you got this for how much?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.   
Angel shrugged, "He just wanted to get it off his hands."   
"I can't believe this, you got a total classic dirt cheap. A 59 Corvette convertible, candy apple red," and she ran her hand along the hood, lovingly.   
"Care to introduce me to your date, Cor," Doyle said from the doorway. She gave him her dirtiest look and took her hand off the car's hood.   
Angel looked at her in surprise, "How do you know so much about cars?"  
She shrugged, "My Dad loves cars, and he would talk about them all the time. Engine size, colors, makes, you name it he knew it. I only ever paid attention to colors and makes though, it was much more interesting." She smiled at the memory, but then let out a sigh. Doyle looked at her with sympathy. He knew she missed her family. He remembered their discussion a few months back. *She just hadn't belonged in Sunnydale anymore, even though her and Xander were on good terms again. That's all there was though, just friendship. She loved him dearly as a friend, but nothing else would or could come out of it. There was virtually nothing left for her in Sunnydale anymore. She had changed and so had everyone else. They were just growing up.* A clear voice brought Doyle back to the present.   
"Doyle, how about take out," Cordelia was asking him.   
"Huh, sounds good to me," he said absently.  
"You okay Doyle?" Cordy asked waving a hand in front of his face.  
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Doyle replied, snapping out of it.  
"Angel, may I take the car for a spin?" Cordy asked hesitantly. Angel's head snapped up and he searched her face intently. Her eyes, he noticed, spoke volumes.   
"Alright, he said finally, "but, I'm going with you!" he emphasized.  
"Hey, what about me.." Doyle started to say, but Cordelia cut him off.  
"Ooh," she squealed. Impulsively, she wrapped her arms around Angel's neck in a tight embrace.   
"Whoa," he said uncomfortably, as he attempted to gently pry her hands off his neck. All the while , Doyle was thoroughly enjoying this spectacle, as he watched Angel silently mouth to him, "Help, get her off me!" Doyle just grinned broadly and shook his head. Cordy finally released Angel, after what seemed an eternity to him.   
"Spaz much Angel, could your muscles get any tighter, geez!" "Doyle, how many times have I told him that conniptions are bad for his health?"   
"Too many times to count," Doyle replied, grinning slyly.  
Angel growled, "Come on, let's go. Don't forget to buckle up-- if you value your lives," Angel muttered under his breath.   
"I heard that," Cordelia threw back over her shoulder. "Alright, everybody squeeze in."  
  
  
15 min. later:  
"Okay, Okay, I know I came close to hitting the fire hydrant, but I was afraid the bird was going to go SPLAT on my windshield!" She waved her good hand for dramatic effect, keeping her left hand on the lower part of the steering to keep it steady. Angel grabbed her hand and stuck it back on the steering wheel.  
"Keep both hands on the wheel," Angel hissed.   
"Fine, whatever, Mr. Front-seat driver," she said as they pulled into the driveway.   
"You know Cor, I would just love to see your face if I could turn into a bat. I bet you would be hitting alot of fire hydrants then, huh?" He and Doyle started laughing.   
"Ha-ha, very funny, Cordelia said as they got out of the car.   
"Oh geeze, I almost forgot, and Cordy raced around to the passenger's side. Okay, who's ready to shop till they drop!" she said enthusiactally.   
"Oh, no, Doyle said putting his hands in front of him. Last time I did that, some moron tried to run us off the road." Angel was about to try and worm his way out of going shopping when he heard Doyle's last statement.  
"What!" Angel exclaimed.   
"Cordy can tell you on the way," Doyle replied.  
"Huh, oh no! I'm not.."   
Doyle cut him off, "Oh yes you are, I went with her last time, you're going with her this time.  
I'm going to stay home and take it easy. I'm tired." Angel just glared at Doyle as he walked around to the driver's side of the car. Doyle had other reasons for having them go shopping together, and his face broke into a smile as he watched them pull out of the driveway.  
  
  
Pt. 5  
  
  
"So, what exactly are we looking for ?" Angel asked, turning his head toward her.   
She shrugged, " I'll know it when I see it."   
"Oh, man," Angel groaned. He bent down and hit his forehead lightly on the steering wheel.  
"Eyes on the road fang boy," Cordy said poking him in the shoulder.  
When they reached the mall the parking lot was packed.  
"I hate shopping," Angel muttered.   
Cordy elbowed him. "It'll be fun. It won't take too long, I promise." She grabbed his arm and pulled him along to the nearest jewelry store. 2 hours and five stores later Angel had grown extremely bored and went to the mall pet store to look at the kittens, while Cordelia in his thoughts, *wandered aimlessly from store to store.*   
"Almost finished!" an excited voice said from behind him.  
Angel jumped, "You startled me."  
"Sorry," she said. She looked over his shoulder and saw that he had been staring at two little black and white kittens.   
He turned around to face her and she saw the thoughtful look quickly fade from his eyes, and he quickly averted his eyes to the food court.   
"You hungry?" he asked   
She barely had a chance to nod before he grabbed her arm and started to pull her away from the pet store window, but not before she had a chance to glance back thoughtfully at the little kittens in the window.  
3 hours later Cordelia only had one more gift to get, it was for her sister Lisa. Lisa loved to take pictures, so they headed towards the camera shop.   
"I'll be back in a sec, okay," Angel said and quickly dashed off.  
Thirty minutes later it was Cordy's turn to wait for Angel.  
"A sec huh?" she said sarcastically, but Angel could see the smile in her eyes as he walked up to her.   
As they walked out to the car Cordelia realized that is was freezing outside and again she had forgotten her jacket. Just then she felt something soft and warm slip over her shoulders.   
"Thanks Ang.." she started to say, then realized he was ahead of her, walking briskly towards the car. *I'll have to forget my jacket more often,* she thought, smiling to herself.   
  
20 minutes later Angel pulled into their driveway and cut the engine.  
"So what happened?" Angel asked Cordelia, and turned to face her.  
"Huh?" Cordy feigned forgetfulness.  
"You know what I'm talking about, the accident," he said, a hint of irritation in his voice.  
"Oh, that," and Cordy looked down at her hands in her lap.   
She raised her head to face him and took a deep breath, as Angel waited patiently beside her.  
She was reluctant to tell him and relive the memories. Once again she took a deep breath.  
"Well, we were basically run off the road, the car was headed straight for us, and Doyle had no where to go, so he made a sharp turn.   
"It wasn't sharp enough though was it," Angel interjected softly. Cordelia shook her head.   
"Cordelia's eyes were furious as she said, "The moron had his brights on too!" He surpressed a smile and reached for her hand.   
"Come on, let's go inside where it's warmer."  
Cordelia stared at him, "Since when do you get cold?" sarcasm tinging her voice.  
"I don't," he replied softly, "but you are."  
  
Next morning:  
  
Cordelia threw off her bed covers, only to be met by a blast of cold air.   
"Brr, it's cold!" Her bare feet hit the wooden floor running as she rushed to the bathroom, only to grab a change of clothes on the way. Dressed in a red turtleneck sweater and blue jeans Cordy poked her head outside the bedroom door. *Cordelia Chase has a plan!* she thought triumphantly. *Coast is clear* she thought. As she made her way to the elevator her white sneakers squeaked on the wooden floor. *Oh, I hope this does not wake up Angel. He may not be able to turn into a bat, but he can sure hear like one!*   
*To leave a note, not to leave a note.*  
She looked at her watch, 6:30 am. *Nah, Angel won't be up for quite awhile, and Doyle will sleep till noon. I'll be home in plenty of time* As she made her way to the main floor the air was colder there than at the apartment. "Angel better get a heating unit for this place, he may not be bothered by the cold, but we sure are," she muttered. *Note to self: nag Angel about heating unit.* She rubbed her upper arms briskly. *I hope Angel won't mind If I borrow his leather jacket, It's freezing!* she thought. She opened the door and gasped. The ground was covered with a thin layer of snow. "L.A- it snowed!" she whispered softly. She closed her eyes and breathed in the crisp, clear air. She lifted her hand upward almost as if she could feel the snowflakes touching her fingertips. Just as quickly the spell ended, she lowered her head and trudged forward, braving the cold weather. *I'm so glad no one saw that* she thought gratefully.  
Little did she realize the pair of eyes watching her. The figure tore his eyes away from the window and headed towards the basement.   
About an 2 hours later he returned from the basement, only to see a frosty Cordelia coming out of the elevator. He noticed her shivering even with the jacket on.   
"Cordelia, where have you been?" he scolded as he walked over to her. She jumped nearly a mile.   
"Ang.. Angel I didn't notice you here," she said through chattering teeth.  
"Of course not, you're too busy freezing to notice. Angel frowned. He took off her jacket and started rubbing her arms vigorously. "What possessed you to go outside this early in the morning, let alone at all?" he questioned.   
"I.. I had to get something for Doyle," she said lightly.  
Angel looked off into space, a faraway look in his eyes. He dropped his hands from her arms.   
"What's wrong?" Cordelia asked anxiously.   
" I really should get heat for this apartment, or a fireplace maybe," he said thoughtfully and continued to stroke his chin.   
"You get cold?" Cordelia asked in surprise.   
"Sometimes," he said turning back to her, a sheepish look in his eyes.   
"You said earlier" but Angel cut Cordy off.  
"I know but I didn't want to scare you or something," Angel replied.  
"Scare me, are you kidding. This is great! Maybe your becoming.."  
"Human, not likely," Angel said bitterly. She watched him walk toward the elevator, and shook her head, one minute he could be all warm and fuzzy, and the next minute cold, almost to the point of being cruel. His behavioral changes bothered her immensely. To take her mind off of it she decided to go in her bedroom and wrap Doyle's present for him. She realized with 2 weeks until Christmas it was a bit early, but she didn't care. Just as she finished wrapping up Doyle's gift she heard a soft knock at the door.   
"Who is it?" she asked.  
"Tis I, Doyle," he replied. *Ahh!* She scrambled to hide his present under the bed.  
"Come in," she said airily.  
"Whatcha doin?" Doyle asked suspiciously, noticing the wrapping paper strewn all over the bed.  
"Oh, just wrapping presents. Want to help?" she asked him with a smile.  
"Sounds like fun," he replied with a grin. He helped her carry the bags out of the bedroom. Cordelia and Doyle sat across from each other, Indian-style. Doyle was so engrossed in his wrapping that he didn't even hear Angel close the basement door. Cordy, however caught him in mid-stride as he headed towards the kitchen. "What are you doing Angel?" her head cocked to one side as she curiously eyed him.   
"Huh, oh, a nothing, I was ah, just downstairs washing laundry, that's all," he shrugged non-chalantly. She just nodded her head but inside she was thinking, * Aha, sure you were.* She grinned to herself at the thought. She resumed her wrapping until she had an awesome idea. She spoke to Doyle as she struggled to stand up.   
"I'll be right back," she said. Doyle looked at her curiously as he could see the gleam in her eyes. *I'm getting to old for this* she thought to herself as she stretched her legs to get the kinks out of them. She walked into the kitchen only to find Angel reading a copy of "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens and a steaming mug of coffee in his hand.   
"A pair of spectacles would make this scene complete. What do you say Grandpa Angel."  
"Ha, Ha, very funny," he said and put down his book.   
She smirked and grabbed his hand, "Come on, there's something I want you to do."  
"Cordelia," Angel started to whine.   
"No whining brood-boy, you'll like this- I promise." She stopped when they got to the living room. "Help us wrap presents," she said excitedly. She saw him open his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. "It'll be fun, besides we could use your help."   
"Well, okay," he said reluctantly.  



	3. Next Part

Disclaimer: Angel belongs to Joss, 20th Century Fox & the other companies who help out. I don't own any of the characters. "Never let You Go" belongs to Third Eye Blind.  
  
Feedback: yes please! (No flames please)  
  
Summary: This is a lighter "Angel" fan-fic set at Chistmas time It is Cordy, Doyle, & Angel's 1st Christmas together. :)  
  
If anyone would like to use this story on their site please ask my permission first.  
  
Pt. 6  
  
Cordelia sneaked a peek in Angel's direction only to find him completely absorbed in his project. Cordy elbowed Doyle making him look up. He saw Angel's face and smiled. This was priceless.   
"Get a picture of this," Cordy whispered fiercely into Doyle's ear. She was afraid Angel would hear her and run off or something. No chance of that happening, he was too intent on wrapping Lisa's gift, his tongue just sticking slightly out the side of his mouth. Just then he heard a click and then a bright light shine in front of eyes.   
"Hey, I won't show up on film!" Angel cried.   
"We shall see my friend," Doyle said mysteriously.  
Cordelia laughed heartily, "Better take it down to the drugstore before Angel has caniption number 2." Doyle nodded and dashed out the front door. Cordelia found this whole scene endearing, and she gave Angel a quick squeeze. "Relax Angel, she said lightly. "Who knows, maybe you'll show up after all," she said softly to herself. Angel heard her that time. He cocked his head and looked at her quizzically as she walked away. As the 2 weeks rolled on by Cordelia had been faithful in keeping the tree lit up, and if Doyle or Angel didn't turn the lights on at dusk she scolded them like little children. They would grumble a bit, then plug in the lights. Cordelia was determined to have a normal Christmas. Life in L.A. was not always pretty or simple. *I am going to have one normal, simple day even if it kills me, er them!* she thought to herself as she watched Angel hang a wreath on the front door.   
Angel stepped back to admire his handiwork. "There, how does it look?" he asked her.   
"It looks pretty, she said smiling at him. She could tell he was actually enjoying this, and to Angel's surprise Cordelia showed no hesitation in linking her arm through his as she dragged him into the house.   
  
Christmas Eve:  
Cordelia wrapped herself in her warm comforter and leaned over to turn off the light, when she heard a soft knock at the door. "Come in," she called. Angel walked hesitantly into her room, and tentatively sat on the edge of her bed.   
"I just wanted to say thank you," he said sincerely. Her laugh reminded Angel of Tinkle bells, soft and sweet.   
"For what," she said her eyes full of wonder.   
"For being the sunshine in my life," he said sweetly. Cordelia didn't know what to say, she was speechless, but before she had a chance to compose her thoughts, he slowly got up off the bed and left the room, closing the door softly behind him. Cordelia snuggled down deep into the comforter. She felt strangely light and happy. As she drifted off to sleep she felt all warm and fuzzy inside.   
  
Christmas morning:  
Cordy awoke at 6:00 am, freezing her butt off, then she realized it was because she kicked all her covers off. *Smart Chase, real smart* her mind screamed as she raced to the bathroom, once again grabbing a change of clothes on the way. She was dressed in sweats as she made her way into the darkened living room. *Today is going to be fun!* she thought excitedly. She went into the kitchen and rummaged through Angel's cupboards, trying to find the ham she had covertly put away. She had to search for the cranberry jelly and chocolate mousse recipe too. *Next time,* she thought, *I'll just tell Angel what I'm doing, and the heck with the surprises!* After she found everything she needed in the kitchen, she padded down the basement in her pink fuzzy dog slippers. In the dim light, she saw a big object covered by a canvas sheet. *I wonder what that is* she thought. She really wanted to take a peek underneath, but refrained. "If Angel wanted anyone to see it, he would have left the canvas off," she reasoned. She grabbed the bag full of gifts with her good hand and hurried up the stairs, before she changed her mind. She spread the gifts all around the tree, with name tags on all of them.   
She flopped down on the couch, suddenly feeling exhausted. *I wonder why I'm so tired,* she thought to herself. *Must be all the excitement of the last few days,* her mind drifted off as she fell into a deep sleep. Half-asleep, Cordelia opened her eyes only to see Doyle lightly shaking her shoulder.   
"I'm awake," she said groggily. She sat bolt upright. "Oh my gosh, is Angel awake? What time is it?" she asked frantically.   
"Quit your babbling darlin," he said softly. "It's twelve noon, if we hurry, everything should be finished by the time he gets up." He helped her off the couch, and asked, "Coffee?"   
"Yes, please," she said gratefully.   
"You've been a busy little girl lately, haven't ya?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.  
She batted her eyelashes at him. "Why would you think that," she said innocently.  
"Oh, I don't know, call it a hunch," he said with a grin on his face  
He rolled his flannel shirt sleeves up, "Well, let's get this show on the road."  
  
Later on that day:  
Cordelia and Doyle simultaneously flopped down on the couch. "I've never spent that much time on a meal in my life," she said with a sigh.   
"If that meal tastes as good as it looks," Doyle said, "you've passed with flying colors."  
"Thanks, Doyle," Cordelia said gratefully. Just then they heard a door creak open and feet pad across the wooden floor.  
"Oh my gosh, it's him, hide!" Cordy practically pulled Doyle off the sofa. They made a mad dash for the basement door and closed it quietly behind them.   
"Angel walked out into the kitchen. *Okay, what's going on here he thought.* The apartment was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Quietly, Doyle and Cordelia opened the basement door and walked towards the kitchen.   
"Where were you guys?" Angel asked suspiciously.   
"Oh, uh, we were downstairs doing laundry," Doyle said quickly.  
"Funny, I've heard that one before," Angel said dryly. Doyle and Cordy exchanged glances, then Cordy quickly changed the subject.   
"Ya know, you may want to get some clothes on deadboy, you look most unbecoming in rumpled, black pants and mussed hair. He frowned, but self consciously ran a hand through his hair. Cordy could hear Angel muttering, "Where did Doyle put my hair gel…" as he headed towards his room.   
She turned to Doyle, "Dinner isn't ready yet," she moaned.   
"Don't worry sweetheart," he said, the thickness of his Irish accent really coming out, "everything will turn out fine."   
Angel came out of the bedroom looking more "becoming" in his black robe with yellow trim, and freshly gelled hair. "Better?" he asked extending his arms, and he turned around in a full circle.   
"Much," Cordelia said  
"You know, you would look much better if you weren't dusted in flour," he commented as he leaned in and touched the tip of her nose with his index finger. She stared at him open-mouthed even though she caught the gleam in his eyes. She heard his deep, rumbling laugh as he headed towards the living room. He stopped short as he entered the living room. "What's going on?" he asked, his mouth hanging open in surprise. Cordelia grabbed his hands and pulled him towards the couch. With an innocent smile she promptly shoved him onto the couch. She grabbed Doyle's hand and pushed him onto the couch too.   
"Hey, what's the big idea!" Doyle pretended to be indignant, but his eyes were dancing merrily.  
"This is for you," she said, putting a cube-shaped box in Doyle's hands. "And This is for you," she said softly, placing a larger, rectangular-shaped box in Angel's hands. She flopped down in the chair opposite them. "Go ahead, open them!" she said smiling. As Doyle started unwrapping his gift, Angel jumped up off the couch.   
"I'll be right back!" he said excitedly. A few minutes later, Angel put a canvas wrapped present in her hands. Before she could say anything, Doyle also handed her a gift wrapped in red tissue paper. Cordelia looked at them with tears in her eyes. For once she was speechless. She slowly sank back into the chair and started to unwrap the presents. She opened Doyle's first.   
"Doyle," she breathed, "it's beautiful!" She hugged the red scarf to her chest. Doyle beamed,  
"My mother crocheted it by hand for me when I was a little boy."  
She hugged Doyle tightly and whispered in his ear, "Oh, Doyle, thank you!" Next she opened Angel's gift. As she gently undid the canvas wrapping she gasped. She looked up at Angel, who was staring down at the floor, his hands clasped behind his back. The colorful picture was drawn on canvas paper, nestled in an antique silver frame. "You saw me that day!" she whispered.  
Angel lifted his head up to look into her eyes, and everything else seemed to fade away. Doyle didn't feel comfortable sticking around for an Angel/Cordy bonding moment so he skedaddled to the kitchen.   
"I haven't drawn anything in over 220 years!" he whispered hoarsely.   
"Angel," she said softly, gingerly she put the drawing down on the love-seat, and hugged him tightly. For once he didn't object and wrapped his arms around her. Doyle came back into the living room just as Angel started to pull away from Cordelia, but suddenly the box on the sofa started to shake.   
"What the…" Angel questioned, as he turned around to stare at it incredulously.   
"Well, open it silly," Cordelia said, hitting him lightly on the shoulder, "it's not going to bite." "I don't think," she muttered to herself. He didn't hear her muttered words as he took off the ribbon.   
As Angel started opening his present, Doyle resumed opening his. Doyle opened his first, and a surprised smile lit up his face. He turned the handle several times and 2 pairs of leprechauns started dancing merrily in the forest clearing, to the tune of "Irish Eyes Are Smiling." He looked up at Cordelia, his eyes shining. He hugged her. "Thank you," he whispered.   
"Your welcome. I thought you might want something to remind you of your homeland," she said, her eyes shining as she spoke. He nodded, blinking profusely, so she wouldn't notice the tears welling up in his eyes.   
Cordelia turned her attention back to Angel when she saw him remove the lid of the box. His mouth dropped open as he pulled the little black and white kitten out of the box. "It seemed fitting you know," she said softly. She looked directly at him as she spoke. He nodded, *She knows,* he thought. As he looked at the tiny black and white paws, his thoughts drifted. *It is so hard sometime to see things in black and white. There always seems to be some gray. It is always easier to be left in the dark, then to shed some light on the matter. Sometimes it is so hard to do what is right, but it is definitely worth striving for,* he thought with a smile. "Thank you," Cor he said firmly.  
"Your welcome," Cordy said, a little surprised at his new nickname for her.  
"I think I'll name her Sunshine, Sunny for short," he said with a smile. Cordy and Doyle looked at him with surprise.   
"Why?" they asked in unison.   
"Because some things aren't meant to be in the dark, they need to be in the light," he said matter-of -factly.  
  
4 o'clock in the afternoon:  
They all sat down to a late lunch of ham basted with a light glaze of honey, cranberry sauce, and cornbread lathered with butter.   
"So, what's for dessert Cordelia?" Angel asked playfully. She looked up at him indignantly as he pulled a chair out for her.   
"Chocolate mousse, which I'll have you know, I made from scratch." Doyle looked at her from across the table and rolled his eyes. "Fine, it's powdered, but it's the closest I'm ever getting to home cooking!" she said crossing her arms over her chest. Angel chuckled. As Angel took a few bites of the ham, Cordelia and Doyle noticed the surprise mixed with joy on his face.   
Putting down his fork with finality, Angel looked at Cordy and Doyle solemnly, "Guys, I can taste this.. and it tastes wonderful, all sweet and spicy at the same time!" Doyle's jaw dropped.   
Cordy shook her fork at him, "Your not going to get a happy now are you!" she demanded. He shook his head no. "It tastes really good, you did a good job Cor."   
Her hand flew to her mouth. "Your serious aren't you?" Angel nodded.  
"Does this mean your becoming human?" Doyle asked.   
Angel shrugged, his face troubled, "I don't know, I have no idea what's going on," he said honestly. No more was said at the dinner table after that. They were all lost in their own thoughts, especially Angel. The possibilities were endless. Cordelia was the first one to jump up from the table.   
"Well, you know what, none of us knows what's going to happen, so I propose we take it one day at a time. If you become human great, if not, we care about you anyway," Cordy said.   
"Well, thanks Cor, I think," Angel said slowly.   
She grabbed his hand, "Come on, let's go outside and play!"  
"Play?" Angel asked questioningly.  
"It's snowing," she replied. Angel hesitantly followed Cordelia around the table to where Doyle was sitting. Cordy grabbed Doyle's hand, pulling him up out of the chair.  
"Hey, just in case you haven't noticed, I'm not wearing a jacket," Doyle said defensively.   
Angel went out into the hall to grab his long, black coat for Doyle.   
As they headed out the door Cordy grabbed Angel's leather jacket and said playfully, "Think you'll need a jacket Angel."  
"Nah, he said, shaking his head. As soon as the chilly air hit his nose he quickly changed his mind. "On second thought…" Cordy's gloved hand stuffed the leather jacket in his own gloveless hands.   
"Never hurts to be prepared!" she yelled to Angel as she made a mad dash for the deepest pile of fresh snow.   
"You may want to think about investing in a pair of gloves for the near future," Doyle advised. He laughed as he jumped down the steps to join Cordelia.  
"Ha Ha, very funny," Angel said, as he trudged toward them.  
As dusk set on the infamous "City of Angels," Sunny sat inside and watched her "pets" play outside in the snow. With her head cocked, she watched as all three were intent on constructing this giant snow man. The last thing she heard as she laid her head on her paws, were the peals of laughter in the distance.  
  
The End  



End file.
